Weekend Reading: Bodrero and Hawkins Interviews

Two fascinating interviews have turned up online which are a must-read for any fan of classic animation: Michael Barrier has posted a 1977 interview with Disney concept artist Jim Bodrero (conducted by Milton Gray) and Thad Komorowski has posted a late-1970s interview with animator Emery Hawkins (conducted by John Canemaker). While the Bodrero interview is more informational, the Hawkins interview really delves into his working style and offers a sense of why he was one of the most distinctive animators of Golden Age animation. The interview is accompanied by a clip reel of Hawkins’s work, put together by Komorowski. The image at the top of this post is a scene of Hawkins animation from the John Sutherland film Rhapsody of Steel.

Didn’t Hawkins animate the battle of the bigger weapons towards the end of “Rabbit of Seville”?

A couple of years ago I found an old Ken Harris interview online where he named Emery Hawkins & Bill Melendez as his two favorite animators. When I told this to Bill he said that was a great honor coming from Ken.

I don’t know how Thad does it – and at 19. Thad has an actual flashdrive and highspeed connection in his skull, making it possible for him to surf the net for more gems of animation-EVEN WHILE HE SLEEPS!– Thanks for sharing your spoils with the rest of us!